Page 5 of Babies for the Boss
He shifts again, clearly aware that he’s standing very close to the edge of my tolerance. “Within days. Maybe sooner. Possibly today.”
It’s been a long time since I expected a bullet.
Every pakhan knows their existence is a target. But when you’ve made the right alliances and hurt the right people, you start to believe a certain amount of safety exists in your world.
My father used to say that safety is an illusion.
Seven years of radio silence from that bastard has left me comfortable with my position in the city. Perhaps too comfortable. Men like Vinogradov rarely arrive quietly. Old grudges will wake up. Old alliances will test themselves. Some will decide the balance of power in this city has changed while he was gone.
He will want to prove them wrong as soon as possible, which means he’s coming for me.
My gaze drifts briefly toward the closed office door.
Beyond it sits Molly Bennett, organizing the chaos of my day with relentless optimism and the sort of cheerful competence that continues to surprise me. She is sunshine in human form—curvy, warm, constantly smiling at people who do not deserve it, and baking the occasional brownie.
I hate chocolate. But I’ll never tell her.
I keep her close because she’s efficient and intelligent, because she understands the rhythm of my business better than most men who claim to be part of it. She’s a living reminder that good exists in the world. I need that because, doing what I do, it’s too easy for me to forget my humanity.
But that is all I can ever have with Molly. Boss and employee. Professional only.
No matter what I want.
Guy finishes speaking and falls silent, clearly hoping the worst of the conversation is behind him. Unfortunately for him, that is rarely how these things work. Information like this is never simple. People who survive in my world do not rely on the first version of the truth they are offered.
He avoids my eyes for a moment, glancing toward the window as if the view of Manhattan might somehow rescue him from the conversation. It will not.
“You are certain that Vinogradov is leaving prison.”
Guy nods immediately. “Yes. The documents were processed through three different offices. I verified them myself.”
“That is not what I asked.”
The correction is quiet, but it has the desired effect. His shoulders stiffen slightly, and this time he meets my gaze more carefully before speaking again. “I’m as certain as I can be without watching the prison gates open. But everything points to the same outcome. Someone paid a great deal of money to make the process happen.”
I consider that. Money can move many things in this country—politicians, judges, entire regulatory agencies, if the price is high enough. Vinogradov was always ambitious, but ambition alone does not purchase early release from two life sentences.
Someone helped him. Someone with influence and resources.
“He has been incarcerated for a long time. The authorities have watched his organization since before he was sentenced. Which means he had help. Do you know who arranged the bribes?”
Guy shakes his head. “Not yet. But the payments moved through accounts connected to people who have worked with him before.”
Which means the network that supported him seven years ago still exists, waiting quietly for his return. Still operates beyond the authorities’ radar.
Or it operates with them.
When Vinogradov disappeared into prison, the balance of power in this city shifted quickly. His territory fractured, smaller crews scrambling to claim pieces of what he left behind. Some of those pieces eventually found their way into my organization. Others simply vanished as men decided they preferred to work under someone more stable.
Vinogradov will not see it that way. In his mind, everything he lost still belongs to him.
“Has he contacted anyone in the city yet?”
Guy hesitates, then shakes his head again. “Unsure. But if he’s getting out early, he’s probably been planning his return for a long time.”
That much is obvious.
The thought irritates me more than it alarms me. Disruption is an unavoidable part of business. Still, I prefer to know exactly where the disruption is coming from before it reaches my doorstep.
